Onto refusing to attempt to claim excess back

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#1

My onto car was driven into whilst parked outside my house perfectly safely and legally. I was in the rear of the house and by the time I knew anything had happened police and ambulance were all over it.

With the driver in the ambulance I was only able to get the registration of the car and the police log reference and they told me to return into my house and not get any closer to the scene and assured me that’s all the insurance company would need

The car was written off and I paid the £1000 excess expecting to have that refunded asap as it obviously couldn’t have been my fault.

So 3 months later after chasing it I’m told onto can’t recover the excess unless I can give them the details of the driver, which I don’t have as they were being treated in an ambulance and the police wouldn’t let me anywhere near.

Surely Zurich would have investigated, got the police report and could sort all this, It looks like they don’t care at all now they have the £1000 from me.

Constantly having to chase them to hear they can’t be bothered to do anything is fantastic customer care it really is

#2

Hi @Matt20382 sorry to hear about your dilemma.

I would like to clarify that as per the terms and conditions of our hire agreements- the subscriber is responsible for the excess payment irrespective of fault - until such time that our insurer is able to reclaim the costs from a third party.

It’s not that we’ve taken your money and thus no longer care - but there are procedures and processes we’re required to follow and terms and conditions by which both our subscribers and ourselves are bound by.

Feel free to drop an email over to [email protected] and our CS Team will be able to look into this for you further.

#3

Ok so why can’t the insurer do that? They have the registration of the car and the police report or do I have to do their job for them and pay for the police report myself, in which case are you going to cover that cost?

#4

@Matt20382

#5

I’ve tried but you just keep saying I need to provide the details of the 3rd party, which is difficult to get when they are in an ambulance and the police refuse to let you anywhere near, but I’m sure the insurance company can easily get them via the police report etc, but nobody seems interested

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#6

Sounds like it would be clearly documented in the police records, plus the telematics would have proof the car was stationary. Three months sounds an unreasonable amount of time for something where if it’s as described, you are obviously not at fault.

I would raise a formal complaint and request how long the parties deem a reasonable period. If that’s not acceptable to you then take it to the small claims court. This is not legal advice of course but how can a judge disagree that it is clearly not your fault and as said above, the police attended so there’s lawfully acceptable documentation available of what happened and when.

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#7

Whilst not exactly the same situation as yours, I had an awful experience with the insurance process with Onto.

I did give every piece of detail required and still had to fight and chase to recover a £1,000 non-fault excess repayment. Took the best part of 6 months and mine was literally a small scratch to a piece of plastic trim.

The process seems like it still needs some serious work. I’d love to see some BPMN diagrams of how the process is supposed to work :nerd_face:

#8

Oh please don’t say that.

Someone went into the back of me and obviously I had to pay the £1,000 and I’m currently having no communication from them, on the repair garage are actually talking to me.

#9

So it would appear if you are unlucky enough to be in the situation where there is an accident and the 3rd party at fault is seriously injured or worse so you are unable to speak to them to get their details, then onto or zurich will not attempt to claim back the excess using the information in the police report. Instead they will make you play private detective and use your own money to pay to get reports yourself from the police and do their or the insurance companies job for them.

Such amazing service for the customer thank you so much onto

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#10

I will flag @Adam_at_Onto so that he is aware as he hasnt been already, as this is another area that needs resolving.

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#11

@Matt20382 totally get your frustration and I’ve asked our claims team to reach out to you tomorrow to see what additional support we can give you to get resolved. I’ll keep an eye on the progress.

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#12

I’ve never known anything like it, which I suppose is why ambulance chasers are so popular as you don’t have to pay your excess if not at fault (personal cover only)

I must admit, id think twice or more before accepting a Zurich underwritten quote, fortunately my insurance is covered by an IAM approved broker who’s beat every quote I’ve ever had owing to my HGV driving job.

I’m not sure who I blame more, ONTO or Zurich, again… We’re at the stage of ONTO blaming a third party company, who, ultimately are appointed by ONTO.

#13

In ONTO’s defence, they may not have much choice. When they began, getting any insurance company to entertain covering them would have been a challenge. They were originally charged £3k per car per annum, and quite a few conditions imposed.

Even now, despite a lot of accrued data indicating the actual risk, and the value of the account, I doubt finding another insurer would be that easy.

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#14

My Ioniq subscription car with Cazoo is insured by NIG a Direct Line company.
Has my name on it and have a copy of the policy

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#15

That’s a slightly different set up. Is the premium adjusted to reflect your circumstances (even if Cazoo pay it)? ONTO have a fleet insurance, so it covers every subscriber, whatever their age (within the minimum and maximum limits) wherever they live.

Elmo charge an insurance supplement if you live in a high risk area (IIRC £35 a month extra for London).

#16

So is mine with Cazoo

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#17

So you have an insurance policy certificate with your name as the driver and the vehicle registration number on it?

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#18

Yes Name, DOB, Driving Licence no,Car reg, and it ends on 25/02/2025 unless I terminate my 3 year subscription

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#19

Same as Motability (RSA) insurance certificates, they are 3 years too, and have the named driver, just the policyholder is the fleet operator

#20

@Kev @Jimmi1 - this wouldn’t work the same way with Onto - as we only offer a monthly subscription- meaning a customer could have a subscription for a month, leave and then come back again a few months later.

If we knew a customer was going to stay long term, we could issue a similar certificate- however, due to the nature of our subscription - what you’re looking for would involve a lot more administrative work for each subscription each month.

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